1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a printer or a hybrid machine having a display for displaying an operation menu and the like and having a power-saving function for effecting a power-saving mode after a prescribed time period elapses when the electronic apparatus is in a standby state without any operation.
2. Related Art
In a conventional electronic apparatus such as a printer or a hybrid machine, when one printing operation is finished, a standby power-supply mode is effected and when a prescribed time period elapses thereafter, it is effected a power-saving mode (standby power-saving mode) in which power consumption is smaller than the standby power-supply mode.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-300336A (JP-A-2002-300336) discloses a hybrid machine having a printer section and a scanner section. In such a hybrid machine, the printer section and the scanner section are individually shifted to a power-saving mode. For example, when a prescribed time period elapses after the printer section finishes a printing operation, the printer section is shifted to a power-saving mode from a standby power-supply mode. Then, when the hybrid machine receives a print job, the printer section is shifted to a printing mode from the power-saving mode, but the scanner section is kept in the power-saving mode.
Recently, printers or hybrid machines which can print song titles and the like on a label surface of a CD as a printing medium other than sheets of paper are on the market. Such hybrid machines are provided with a CD guide for allowing a CD adapter for loading a CD to be mounted to the printer section. Accordingly, the CD guide is opened at the time of loading the CD. When the operation of the CD guide is sensed by a sensor, the printer section is shifted to the standby power-supply mode from the power-saving mode.
On the other hand, the scanner section includes an original table on which an original to be scanned is placed, an original cover, and an original cover sensor for sensing the opening operation of the original cover. When a prescribed time period elapses after the scanner section finishes a scanning operation, the scanner section is shifted to the power-saving mode from the standby power-supply mode. In the power-saving mode, when a sensor senses the opening operation of the original cover, the scanner section is restored to the standby power-supply mode. It takes a prescribed time period for a CCD or a lamp as a reader of the scanner section to become a stable state in which it can perform the scanning operation with prescribed precision. Accordingly, the start of the scanning operation is preliminarily sensed (predicted) on the basis of the operation of the original cover, thereby rapidly supplying power to the scanner section.
The hybrid machine is provided with a liquid crystal display (LCD) as a display for displaying a menu screen or the like. When a prescribed time period elapses after the printer section or the scanner section shifts to the standby power-supply state, the liquid crystal display shifts to a screen saver state, and for example, when a prescribed time period elapses thereafter, the liquid crystal display is shifted to a power-saving mode so as to turn off the screen.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-96756A (JP-A-2004-96756) discloses a technique for displaying a demo image on a display (an image display) of a digital camera. That is, the technique includes a step of starting a demo mode displaying features and functions of the digital camera on the image display and a step of giving a demonstration when a user's input is not detected at all. The technique includes a step of finishing the demonstration when the user's input is detected, a step of enabling a normal use of the image display, and a step of automatically restarting the demonstration when a prescribed time period elapses in the state where the user's input is not detected.
When the hybrid machines or the printers (hereinafter, referred to as hybrid machines, etc.) are in a store, a demo printing operation is often performed to show performances of the hybrid machines to customers. Even when the demo printing operation is not performed, it is effective for attracting attention of the customers to display demo images such as advertisement texts or advertisement illustrations on the screen of a liquid crystal display so as to show performances of the hybrid machines, etc. to the customers.
However, when the conventional hybrid machine exhibited in a store is in a demo display state, the hybrid machine is shifted to the power-saving mode in the same order as a normal mode. Accordingly, when a prescribed time period elapsed without any operation after the hybrid machine shifts to the demo display state, the hybrid machine is shifted to the power-saving mode to be in a power-saving display state in which the screen is turned off from the demo display state. In this case, since the demo display is stopped for a prescribed time period, it is not possible to obtain an effect of sufficient advertisement.
Even when the hybrid machine performs a demo display and there is no possibility that another function such as a printing function or a scanning function is performed, the hybrid machine is restored to the standby power-supply mode from the power-saving mode in the same order as the normal mode, thereby uselessly increasing the power consumption in the demo display. For example, it is assumed that a customer having visited the store to watch the hybrid machine operates the CD guide. Then, although the hybrid machine performs the demo display and no printing operation will be performed, the printer section is shifted to the standby power-supply mode from the power-saving mode. When the customer opens the original cover, the opening operation is sensed by a sensor and the scanner section is restored to the standby power-supply mode from the power-saving mode. Accordingly, although the hybrid machine performs the demo display and a specific printing operation such as an operation of printing a label on a CD and a scanning operations will not be performed, the customer's operation is sensed and the hybrid machine is restored to the standby power-supply mode from the power-saving mode, thereby uselessly consuming power by the standby power supply. Specifically, when the hybrid machine exhibited in the store gives a demo illustration, the liquid crystal display consumes power to give the demo illustration such as advertisements for business hours from the opening time of the store to the closing time. Therefore, there is a need for suppressing unnecessary power consumption in operations other than the demo display as small as possible. The power-saving mode is not mentioned in the digital camera disclosed in JP-A-2004-96756 and thus another countermeasure is required for the power-saving function.